Higher education has found a new home in national headlines.
Since early December, the presidents of Harvard and Penn have resigned amid national scrutiny while the Department of Education continues to investigate allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia on college campuses.
To start the spring semester, The Herald recaps some of the country鈥檚 biggest stories in the ever-changing landscape of higher education.
Congressional testimony on antisemitism
On Dec. 5, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce questioned former Harvard President Claudine Gay, former Penn President Liz Magill and MIT President Sally Kornbluth in a five-hour hearing titled 鈥溾��&苍产蝉辫;
The presidents were questioned by Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY)鈥檚 on their Universities鈥� regulations concerning bullying and harassment, specifically in relation to 鈥渃alling for the genocide of Jews.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
鈥淭he rules around bullying and harassment are quite specific,鈥� Gay said. 鈥淎nd if the context in which that language is used amounts to bullying and harassment, then we take 鈥� action against it.鈥� Magill and Kornbluth answered similarly.
Though Penn and Harvard were prepared for questions on free speech , their responses prompted swift and severe backlash from experts.
Steven Davidoff Solomon, law professor at University of California at Berkeley, in the New York Times that the college presidents appeared to be 鈥減repared to give answers in the court 鈥� and not a public forum.鈥�
Shortly after the hearing, Stefanik, alongside others, of all three presidents.
At their respective universities, some alums until the schools addressed antisemitism. Additionally, the House committee, which currently holds a , officially into 鈥渞ampant antisemitism鈥� that they alleged was occurring on college campuses.
and released video statements apologizing for their responses. Kornbluth her testimony with a call for unity and 鈥渟tanding up against hate of any kind.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Two days later, Magill resigned from her post, according to a the university Chair of the Board of Trustees Scott Bok sent to the Penn community. Minutes later, Bok resigned, saying it was 鈥渢he right time to depart.鈥�
Magill鈥檚 tenure lasted less than two years, the shortest of any Penn president.
鈥淥ne down. Two to go,鈥� Stefanik wrote in a that same day, adding that 鈥渢his is only the very beginning of addressing the pervasive rot of antisemitism that has destroyed the most 鈥榩restigious鈥� higher education institutions in America.鈥�
In early December, the governing bodies of and released statements supporting the presidents鈥� leadership.
More trouble for Claudine Gay
On Dec. 10 鈥� five days after the hearing on Capitol Hill 鈥� conservative activist Christopher Rufo allegations of plagiarism levied against Gay.
Fellows of the corporation conducted an of the allegations after Gay learned of them. A week after the review, they instances of 鈥渄uplicative language without appropriate attribution.鈥� Gay requested corrections to the works.
Over the following two weeks, the Harvard corporation鈥檚 internal support for Gay began to falter, according to an investigative piece by the New York Times. On a Dec. 27 phone call with Penny Pritzker, the leader of Harvard University鈥檚 governing board, Gay promised to resign amid the board鈥檚 newfound and faltering outlook on her future at the university.
On Jan. 2, Gay .
鈥淭he resignation of Harvard鈥檚 antisemitic plagiarist president is long overdue,鈥� Stefanik wrote in a . 鈥淭his is just the beginning of what will be the greatest scandal of any college or university in history.鈥�
On Jan. 3, Gay wrote a in the New York Times where she admitted mistakes in her response to the Israel-Palestine war but warned that 鈥渢his was merely a single skirmish in a broader war to unravel public faith in pillars of American society.鈥�
鈥淭he campaign against me was about more than one university and one leader,鈥� she wrote.
In the aftermath, faculty at many universities have about threats to their academic freedom and the politicization of higher education.
Academic freedom is 鈥減rimarily a faculty member鈥檚 right to do research, teach, and speak extramurally without fear of sanction by the institution,鈥� Luther Spoehr, senior lecturer emeritus in education, wrote in an email to The Herald. 鈥淚t鈥檚 expected that the institution will protect the faculty from outside pressures.鈥�
Spoehr drew a connection between the current climate and that of McCarthyism in the 1950s, in which academics were called in front of Congress and questioned about alleged ties to the Communist Party.
What happens next?
In the wake of Gay鈥檚 resignation, campuses continue to grapple with ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza. Over 25,000 people in Gaza and around 1,200 people in Israel have been killed since Oct. 7, the Associated Press .
Some conservative voices, including Stefanik, maintain a spotlight on college campuses. 鈥淚 will continue rooting out the rot of antisemitism that is plaguing America鈥檚 colleges and universities,鈥� she to X, formerly known as Twitter, 鈥渢his is just the beginning.鈥�
Kornbluth, who is Jewish, is weathering the storm of controversy with no credible threats against her employment so far. Unlike Magill and Gay, she retained her position.
With an ongoing Congressional investigation into antisemitism on college campuses, the landscape of higher education stands at a tipping point. On Jan. 10, the presidents of Harvard, Penn, MIT and Cornell received a letter from the House Ways and Means Committee that their universities may lose their tax-exempt status over concerns of antisemitism and 鈥渓ackluster responses by your respective universities to Hamas鈥� attacks.鈥�
That same week, six Jewish students at Harvard accusing the university of not properly addressing 鈥渟evere and pervasive鈥� antisemitism on campus.
At Brown, the administration has taken steps to protect students from discrimination following about antisemitism and Islamophobia on campuses nationwide.
In a Dec. 5 faculty meeting, President Christina Paxson P鈥�19 P鈥橫D鈥�20 stated that Brown is considering enhancing Title VI policies, which prohibit 鈥渄iscrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance,鈥� according to the .
Brown has also seen a rise in student activism surrounding the Israel-Palestine war, with many activists calling for divestment from 鈥淚sraeli military occupation鈥� and a ceasefire in Gaza. Two in University Hall have led to the arrest of 61 students 鈥� 41 of whom are still facing trespassing charges.
The University maintains they do not 鈥渄irectly invest in any weapons manufacturers.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
Students returning to College Hill for the new semester are facing one of the most tumultuous environments in higher education.
鈥淎t the moment,鈥� Spoehr wrote, 鈥淚 see no convincing signs that the end of such bitter disagreements is anywhere in sight.鈥�
Owen Dahlkamp is a Section Editor overseeing coverage for University 国产偷拍 and Science & Research. Hailing from San Diego, CA, he is concentrating in political science and cognitive neuroscience with an interest in data analytics. In his free time, you can find him making spreadsheets at Dave鈥檚 Coffee.
Ryan Doherty is a Section Editor covering faculty, higher education and science & research. He is a sophomore concentrating in chemistry and economics who likes to partially complete crosswords in his free time.
